Ordinary Travelers Under TSA Surveillance

A previously unknown airport surveillance program has federal air marshals following ordinary travelers. That's according to a new report by Jana Winter in The Boston Globe. The story's editor Scott Allen spoke with WGBH News’ Mark Herz about the program dubbed “Quiet Skies.” The following transcript has been edited for clarity.

Mark Herz: If those being surveilled aren't suspected of anything, how are they being targeted?

Scott Allen: What we know is that starting in March of this year, the TSA started asking federal air marshals to follow certain American citizens on domestic flights, keeping very close track of everything they do both at the airport and on the plane — but not because they were suspected of anything. As we understand it from the documentation we have, there's about 15 criteria that they use to select people for up-close surveillance, but we only know a few of them. One of them, for example, is international travel to an area that has somehow been associated with terrorism. For example, if you've ever been to the Istanbul airport, that could be a reason to trigger special scrutiny. But that's something we're still trying to find out right now, is exactly what puts a person on this list. What we do know - because they say it explicitly - is that these people are not suspected of any crime.

Herz: You have something in the article where you actually have what looks like a checklist of behaviors that seem a little strange to the uninitiated, aren't they?

Allen: That's right. Some of this is potentially psychological profiling of some kind. For example, they're looking to see if you have a cold hard stare, or if you have a jump in your Adam's apple when you talk, or did you get on the plane last? Did you change your clothes? Did you fall asleep at the airport while you were waiting? All sorts of detailed things where they may be, for all we know, constructing some sort of a psychological profile of the person they're looking at.

Herz: So how long has this been going on and how did you find out about it?

Allen: Since March they've been targeting 35 or 40 travelers per day to track them with these special teams of air marshals. The reason we know about it is because the air marshals themselves are extremely concerned about what they're doing with this program. One, they feel like some of these people pose no threat whatsoever. And two, their resources are limited and they'd rather spend their time pursuing folks that might be a threat to national security or to the safety of the aircraft. And this sort of surveillance strikes them as an invasion of privacy for no public gain.

Herz: And what are these federal air marshals who object to this doing?

Allen: Well, some of them have actually complained internally. So this does not come as a complete shock to the TSA that they've got criticism of the program, because they they've complained internally through formal channels. And some of them are talking to us. Quite honestly, these are not people that talk a lot to the media, so the fact that they are sharing their concerns and feeling they're wasting their time and resources, that tells you that they must have a serious concern.

Herz: What do you suppose the TSA's thinking is behind this surveillance program?

Allen: When we first called them and said 'we know about this program , there are some serious questions there,' they were very reluctant to answer any questions, basically saying 'if we tell you the details of how this works or even if we confirm the program's existence, we could compromise public safety.' But after our story was published on Sunday and other media started picking it up, they started talking a little bit more broadly about the program. And I guess the idea is to find the potential terrorists who are not in any way publicly associated with anything. They're trying to find these security threats that defy the normal ways of profiling. One thing we do know is that the TSA has actually been criticized quite a bit for the quality of their work and their ability to find terrorists and their ability to prevent people from getting weapons and explosives onto airplanes. They've faced criticism for that. So this is a way of extending the reach to non-traditional people that are not the natural targets of law enforcement.

Herz: And any reaction from the TSA now that your piece has been published?

Allen: I think they thanked us for ruining their weekend, because it was something they had to deal with all weekend long. But they've actually been fairly honorable about it, and they did not have any doubts or questions about what we published that was accurate. And they're now having to stand by it and answer a lot of questions.

Herz: Thanks for joining us, Scott.

Allen: My pleasure.

Herz: That's Scott Allen of The Boston Globe. He's the editor of a story out in the Globe by reporter Jana Winter on a new surveillance program started by the TSA this past March dubbed “Quiet Skies.” It targets everyday fliers who are not thought to pose a risk. This is All Things Considered.